Contests/Conferences
I went to lunch with one of my critique buddies, Steven Moores, who said that I should talk about writing contests/conferences, particularly about Rocky Mtn. Fiction Writers. Well, RMFW is a cross-genre group, so our contest includes Mainstream, Mystery, Romance, SF/F, etc. THE DEADLINE IS JUNE 1, 2005. The top 4-5 finalists get their work judged by an editor or agent, and sometimes the manuscript is requested. That means contests can be a short cut to publication.
YOU DECIDE what contests you want to enter -- depending upon the final judge, and what you want out of them, many contests like RMFW are excellent in receiving feedback regarding your work. They also toughen you up. Other contests, such as RWA's Golden Heart and RITA, give NO feedback, they are for prestige and, again, selling.
Now, most writers who have entered contests for a few years have stories. I am no exception, but I like to keep the blog short (esp. since I should be writing) since the blog is daily. So all I will say is that ALL CONTESTS ARE SUBJECTIVE. You can get harsh or lenient judges, judges in wonderful or crappy moods, judges who don't like how you spell "finalled." Furthermore, you can get people who "don't get" your humor or like your characters or dislike your plot. CRAP SHOOT.
How did I finally get published after 9 years of serious writing? Through a contest. Was I thrilled to win the RITA? YOU BET!
Love to all,
Robin
YOU DECIDE what contests you want to enter -- depending upon the final judge, and what you want out of them, many contests like RMFW are excellent in receiving feedback regarding your work. They also toughen you up. Other contests, such as RWA's Golden Heart and RITA, give NO feedback, they are for prestige and, again, selling.
Now, most writers who have entered contests for a few years have stories. I am no exception, but I like to keep the blog short (esp. since I should be writing) since the blog is daily. So all I will say is that ALL CONTESTS ARE SUBJECTIVE. You can get harsh or lenient judges, judges in wonderful or crappy moods, judges who don't like how you spell "finalled." Furthermore, you can get people who "don't get" your humor or like your characters or dislike your plot. CRAP SHOOT.
How did I finally get published after 9 years of serious writing? Through a contest. Was I thrilled to win the RITA? YOU BET!
Love to all,
Robin
posted by FantasyAuthor RobinDOwens | 5:39 PM
4 Comments:
Love the new look!! Man, how on earth did you get your covers over here??? Great job! :) D
The site does look great, Robin :)
Robin, how did you personalize your template? I cannot figure it out for hte life of me and the blogger help pages are -- ahem -- less than helpful.
It does look nice.
I entered. :) Just joined RMFW myself.
Just start asking around the blogs for help. Someone will come to your aid. I've found http://thegolfmerchant.blogspot.com/ to be most helpful. He's even got some help links on his site.
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